Game display



9, 1961 c. M. IRVIN, JR 2,998,131

GAME DISPLAY Filed Oct. 19, 1959 IN VENT OR CLIFFORD M. #WmfdR- m'mm/b wnnl ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,998,131 GAME DISPLAY I Clifford-M. Irvin, J11, El Paso,.'1' 'ex.,- assignor to Southwest Specialty, Inc;, El: Paso,.Tex;, a' corporation of The present invention relates to' a game and a display unit for the game, more particularly, to an arrangement of a display unit, a game, playing surfaces and game pieces for use in the game.

One of the most popular forms of recreation is the playing. of various types of games. Such games have taken many forms and range from simple games, primarily devised for children, to extremely complicated games designed to simulate actual transactions taking place in various phases of human activity. Such games may also involve complex electronic circuits for giving various indications according to a predetermined pattern.

A' basic form of game comprises a game board having a playing surface thereon wherein game pieces are moved upon the playing surface according to a predetermined pat-tern. This pattern for determining the movement of game pieces is based uponlpreviously established rules or by various chance devices. The unknown elements surrounding'th'echance determination of the movement of the game pieces provides uncertainty so as to maintain the outcome of the game in'doubt until its conclusion. The degree of excitement flowing from such games has proved to be extremely entertaining.

In the present game, there is provided a playing surface whereongame pieces move on this playing surface. These game pieces are unique in that they comprise inherentpowers of movement or locomotion. Thus the movement of thegame piecesis not dependent upon any previously determined rules-or upon chance devices but upon the purely natural characteristics of the game pieces wherein the game pieces are endowed with the inherent powers of movement.-

These game pieces comprise the so-called jumping beans which arenativeto- Mexico. These beans have the peculiar characteristic of jumping; that is, the bean when positioned upon a surface is capableof a number of jumping movements 50- as to propel the bean across the surface; This ability tojump is increased by exposing the beansto the actionoflight and heat. The jumping or movement of the beans is usually manifested in a more or less-continuous direction.

These beans comprising the game pieces of the present game are usually sector shaped in cross section. Each bean encloses a grub or worm and it is apparently the spasmodic movements of this Worm Within the bean under the action of heat and light which causes the socalled jumping of the bean.

While the present game itself is novel and interesting, the present invention also comprises a display arrangement for this game which will attract considerable attention to the game. The mere display of the game so as to be clearly visible to the public is usually not sufficient to draw attention to the game. Accordingly a display arrangement has been devised which will audibly call attention to the presence of the game.

Accordingly there is disclosed a display board wherein the game playing surfaces are mounted upon the board. In addition packages of the game pieces, the jumping beans, are also mounted upon the board. These beans are packaged in transparent plastic containers, so that the jumping movements of the bean are clearly visible. In addition the movements of the beans in the packages of the display board makes a continuous clicking noise ice 2. which quickly draws attention to the presence of the jumping beans and the games on display;

The resulting display arrangement of thisgame is therefore self-advertising and accordingly the sale of merchandising of these games is considerably increased;

It is, therefore, the principal object'of'this invention to provide a novel and improved ga'medisplay;

It is another object of this invention to' provide a novel and improved display unit for a game comprising agame playing surface and game pieces.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a' game where the game pieces are self-propelled over: a game playing surface to provide an appealing and entertaining diversion for players of all ages.

It is an additional object of this invention to" provide a novel and improved package for game pieces havingv inherent powers of locomotion.

It is still another object of this-invention to provide a method of displaying a game board, game pieces and a display board.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a display unit for a game comprising game pieces, having inherent powers of movement whereby attention is continuously called to the-presence of the games on display.

Other objects and advantages ofthis invention will be apparent upon reference to the accompanying description when taken in conjunction with the following drawings herein: I 7

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view but looking ina slightly upward direction illustrating the game display unit of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the display unit shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3' is a top plan view of the display unit illus trated-in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the playing surface of the game of this invention; and

FIGURE 5 is an overall perspective view of the package comprising the container and game pieces with the closure of the container being shown in an openposition.

Returning now to the drawings, the specific embodi-- ment of this inventionwill presentlybe described. With reference to FIGURE 1, there is disclosed a display unit indicated generally as- 1.- This display unit comprises" a display board-2 which is-formed of a substantially rigid sheet-like material such as card board, wood, plastic or compressedfibrous material. This display board is actu-- ally a sound board for amplifying the sounds made by the movement of the beans in the containers. Hence, the material of the sound board should be resonant to sound.

A stand 3 is mounted on the rear face 4 of the display board in substantially a vertical position. Reference to FIGURE 2 will show the stand and will also illustrate the angle from the vertical at which the display unit is normally positioned.

There is a plurality of substantially square openings 5 in the display board. These openings are arranged in two pairs of vertical rows 6 positioned adjacent the vertical edges of the display board. The number of openings in each row is the same. The top openings in the row are spaced from the top edge 7 of the display board to provide space for the inclusion of descriptive or advertising matter.

A pad of game sheets 8 is mounted on the front surface 9 of the display board. These game sheets are formed of paper, cloth, or plastic and are mounted by a perforated edge 10 so as to be readily detachable from the pad.

A playing surface for the game is printed upon each of the game sheets and is indicated at 11 in FIGURE 4. The playing surface is divided into four quadrants by the lines 12 and 1-3, and each has a starting area 14 located in the center portion of the playing surface. Surrounding the starting area are a plurality of scoring areas which are assigned different values. Proceeding next to FIGURE 5, there is illustrated container 15 for retaining the game pieces. The contlainer 15 is so dimensioned that it can be readily received in the opening of the display board. The container is constructed from a rigid transparent thermoplastic material such as polystyrene, or polymethyl methacrylate, known as Lucite and comprises a closure member 16 which is pivotally mounted on the body of the container by a hinge 17. A latch 18 is also provided to detachably lock the closure member to the body of the container.

7 Four jumping beans indicated at 19 are packaged in each of the containers. These beans are a variety known as Mexican jumping beans, such as described above.

5 When the display unit is positioned upon a substantially horizontal surface the jumping of the beans in the containers of the display unit will make a clicking noise. This clicking noise will cause the sound board to resonate and will readily attract attention to the game display. As a result, the display unit has a considerable quantity of built-in sales appeal.

The game playing surface is simple in nature. Hence the game can be readily played without the necessity for study of the rules involved. Since the manner in which the game is played is readily apparent by a cursory examination of the game as it is displayed, it is clear that this game display unit will promote considerable impulse buying.

- In playing the game, each player places a game piece in a quadrant of the starting area. As the bean jumps about the playing surface, the player adds the values of the various scoring areas into which the bean has moved. If the bean leaves the playing surface, it is then replaced in the starting area. A typical game may comprise a total score of 300 points... As the jumping bean is more active when heated, the bean may be held in the hand for a short period of time prior to being placed upon the playing surface.

The scoring of the game may be varied from that described above. For example, the game may comprise a predetermined number of times that the bean jumps off the playing surface. While the game is best played with four players, fewer players can readily take part in the game as the playing surface has been described above. To permit a greater number of players than four to participate, it would be necessary to redesign the playing surface.

Thus it can be seen that the present invention provides 4 V an entertaining game which is simple in nature but which nevertheless is very entertaining. There also has been disclosed a display unit for this game which comprises a sound board to continuously attract attention of potential purchasers to the game display. The simplicity of the game itself, which is readily apparent by examining the game as it is displayed, together with the inherent audible attraction of the game will greatly facilitate the merchandising of this item.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions, and accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A display arrangement for a game having game pieces with inherent powers of movement, and comprising a display board, a stand on said display board to position said board in substantially a vertical position, a pad of game sheets mounted on said display board, and packages of game pieces removably mounted upon said display board.

2. A display arrangement as claimed in claim 1 with said packages comprising containers formed from transparent material.

3. In a display arrangement for a game having game pieces with inherent powers of movement, a display board, there being a plurality of openings in said display board, a stand on said display board to retain the board in a substantially vertical position, a pad of game sheets each having a playing surface thereon mounted upon said display board, and a plurality of packages of game pieces removably mounted in said display board openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 761,621 Wright May 3 1, 1904 974,661 Hamilton Nov. 1, 1910 1,495,488 Kerr May 27, 1924 1,563,687 Chaney Dec. 1, 1925 1,632,673 Paulus June 14, 1927 2,119,709 Henn June 7, 1938 2,335,099 Barkin Nov. 23, 1943 2,560,932 Chapman July 17, 1951 2,599,011 Phipard June 3, 1952 2,711,900 Tressler June 28, 1955 2,739,700 Lanz-i Mar. 27, 1956 2,746,757 Frost May 22, 1956 2,797,840 Gibbs July 2, 1957 2,854,135 Pantalone Sept. 30, 1958 2,858,039 Gibbs Oct. 28, 1958 

